Lakers' Jake LaRavia Opens Up About Major Change Behind Impressive Preseason

The 24-year-old wing is starting to turn things around after a brutal end to last season, which led to speculation about his uncertain future with the Los Angeles Lakers.

Oct 5, 2026; Sacramento, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward Jake LaRavia (12) smiles on the bench during the second quarter against the Sacramento Kings at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Toward the end of last season, one Los Angeles Lakers player whose role changed significantly due to struggles on the basketball floor was Jake LaRavia.

Once the NBA playoffs rolled around, things got worse for LaRavia. In 14.3 minutes per game, the young forward averaged only 3.3 points and 2.1 rebounds per contest, shooting some rough percentages from the field (33.3%) and beyond the arc (28.6%).

LaRavia’s performance during the playoffs was so disappointing that speculation started to swirl about whether he’d be on the trading block during the offseason.

Jake LaRavia Admits Shooting Struggles Were ‘Mental’ Last Season

Fortunately for the 24-year-old, he has another chance to prove himself in a contract year, and he’s already gotten off to a solid start during the NBA preseason.

After dropping 17 points in the win over the Kings earlier this week, LaRavia opened up about his shooting struggles and what he’s done to get back on track in that area.

"I think a lot of it was mental,” LaRavia said. “Also, just tweaking a couple things to make the shot a little bit more consistent. Obviously, like I put my shot more to the right side of my body now, to just make it a little bit more linear. But a lot of it was really mental. And again, this past summer really helped with that.”

LaRavia has been one of the most impressive players for the Lakers during the team’s first three preseason games. He’s stepped up his game on both ends of the floor while also receiving high praise from head coach JJ Redick on multiple occasions. 

Jake LaRavia Making a Case for Rotation Minutes

The Wake Forest product’s effort on defense has never been in question, but once his shooting started to drop off, he became a liability on the basketball floor.

However, he’s turning things around as he has clearly made the changes needed to be a threat from beyond the arc once again.

In three preseason games, LaRavia is averaging 12.7 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 2.0 steals and 1.3 blocks per game while shooting 63.6 percent from the field and 54.5 percent from three-point range.

Jake Laravia vs Kings:

17 PTS 4 REB 3 AST 1 STL 1 BLK 79 TS% pic.twitter.com/LlYckDqNqZ

— Laker Performances (@LALPerformance) October 9, 2026

If LaRavia can keep up that kind of production offensively while still being a force defensively, Redick will have some tough decisions to make when it comes to distributing minutes among his wing players.

The Lakers have a talented group of wings this season, with LaRavia, Cameron Carr, Matisse Thybulle, Adou Thiero and Ziaire Williams, who have all shown the ability to be a force to be reckoned with on both ends of the floor.

This is a good problem to have, and it’ll be interesting to see what the rotation looks like when the regular season gets underway on Oct. 21 against the visiting Golden State Warriors.

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